It’s been a record-setting weekend for Cordarrelle Patterson.
With the Falcons trailing by 10 in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Bears, the Atlanta star returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, which was the ninth kickoff return touchdown of Patterson’s career. It also sets an NFL record.
Up until Sunday, Patterson — a former first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2013 — shared the record for kickoff return touchdowns with former return specialist Josh Cribbs and former running back and return specialist Leon Washington with eight a piece.
Patterson’s last kickoff return for a touchdown before Sunday took place in late 2020 against his former Vikings team, when he took it to the house on a 104-yard run as a member of the Bears.
Patterson spent four seasons with the Vikings before bouncing around the league, where he also played for the Patriots and Raiders. He initially signed with the Falcons in 2021 on a one-year, $3 million deal, and re-signed this past March for a two-year, $10.5 million contract.
The Falcons’ Cordarrelle Patterson (84) runs the ball back on a kickoff against the Bears on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.AP
Cordarrelle Patterson (84) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Bears on Nov. 20, 2022.Getty Images Patterson’s first-half heroics were crucial for the Falcons, who entered halftime tied with Chicago at 17.
